MUSKEGON, MI – Two Muskegon ex-convicts have been arraigned after allegedly being surprised by a Fruitport Township resident during a home invasion, then caught after separate chases.

A group of teenage boys captured one of the men near the scene while police nabbed the other after a lengthy manhunt.

Charged with one count apiece of first-degree home invasion and being a fourth-time habitual offender are Milton Allen Marshall, 49, and Todd Bryant Lemieux, 42. They were arraigned Friday afternoon, March 22.

The charge is normally a maximum 20-year felony, but the habitual offender count raises the potential maximum sentence to life in prison.
Both men were released from prison in the past six months: Marshall on Oct. 6, 2012, and Lemieux on Dec. 15, 2011. Lemieux is on parole.

Todd LemieuxMuskegon County Jail

The alleged home invasion was reported around 3 p.m. Thursday after the female resident of a house in the 4900 block of South Sheridan Drive came home to discover two intruders. One ran out when she arrived, the other after she went into the house and confronted him, according to Fruitport Township police.

The front door had been forced open, rooms had been ransacked and items were missing, police said.

Marshall was stopped nearby within a few minutes by a group of six Fruitport High School students who held him until police arrived. Lemieux was captured by police shortly after 4 p.m. after fleeing on foot through a wooded area following a manhunt involving multiple police agencies including a Michigan State Police K-9 unit.

Marshall’s habitual-offender count is based on prior convictions in 1992 of arson of a dwelling, which drew a prison sentence of four to 20 years; in 1989 of three counts of malicious destruction of a building over $100; and in 1984 of damage to property.

Lemieux’s is based on convictions in 1994 of breaking and entering, which resulted in a prison sentence of 20 to 30 years; in 1990 of breaking and entering of an occupied dwelling; and in 1989 of safebreaking.

Marshall's bond was set at $100,000 cash or surety, which requires the full amount to be posted, and Lemieux's at $50,000 cash or surety. A preliminary examination for both was scheduled for 10:30 a.m. April 4.